New guy here, just made an anvil for around the shop

[Tapper2]

I'm new here, but wanted to share the anvil I made with  you folks.

 

[Mark Ling]

That's actually kinda cool. One thing I will say, is that you have a really radiused edge, and you have really sharp edges, but you don't just have a slightly radiused edge, which is what I use most.

   What did it start as? how did you go about making this? weight?

                                                                                                                                     Littleblacksmith

[Tapper2]

It was a piece of a toggle, from a rock crusher. It weighs 170lb, but lifts easily with my foot. It measures 7"x8"x13-1/2". 

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Tapper, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the Iforge gang live within visiting distance. 

I LIKE the way you think, very innovative. I can't wait to see what you come up with after you've been smithing long enough to know what a good anvil needs. Sharp edges are almost never useful on anvils, they tend to cause sharp corners inside bends which are called stress risers and concentrate force and make failure initiation points. It's the same effect that allows you to cut glass by scratching it then tapping it.

One nice flat face and step are plenty for an anvil. The side with the open sides would make a good place for swages and bending forks. The edge you marked off with the scale and dedicated as a cutter is IMNSHO the perfect spot to grind various fullers. The big hole is an interesting "problem" If you radius the edges of the hole it'd be good for sinking shapes like bowls, etc. And like LBS suggested grind more than one radius on all those sharp edges,

This little lift mechanism is going to be showing up under all kinds of useful blacksmith tools, swage blocks come to mind immediately. It's a little in the way but it'd be nothing to step around the back side to switch sides. 

That is an excellent idea, thanks for sharing!!

Frosty The Lucky.

[Glenn]

That mechanism can be used on many things. Great idea.

Can you post images of just the lifting mechanism? Both at rest and in the lift position?

[Tapper2]

Thanks Flosty, I've been working iron and steel for many years. I've got several anvils, so I'm familiar with soft edges and usefulness of different surfaces. Thanks guy, for the input. I like to build/share stuff that could be useful to a variety of different blacksmiths. Saying sharp edges are almost never useful, seems quite odd. Have you ever made tongs? Sharp edges have their place. Kind of insulting for you to say ". I can't wait to see what you come up with after you've been smithing long enough to know what a good anvil needs". Since you know nothing about me. 

Glenn, thanks, I'll try to get some more pics in the morning. The whole assembly (including the "bad" anvil) weighs around 300lb. Upstate N.Y.

[Glenn]

People are not going to ask what brand anvil you used to make the widget, and then pay extra if they recognize the anvil name.

If the "bad anvil" works then use it. If it works well, then use it a whole lot. (grin).

[Frosty]

I didn't mean to be insulting, I apologize. You're right I don't know you well enough at all I was only judging your skill level by your comments in the video. You kept extolling sharp edges like they're good things. Yes, I've made tongs and can't think of a spot where a sharp edge would be beneficial. I will be more than happy to learn better.

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Tapper2; a lot of us are working off what was written down about 128  yeas ago when smithing was still a major part of the industrial process: "For my own part I am satisfied not only that the sharp edges are useless, but that they are also destructive of good work. I cannot account for their existence except as a relic of a time when the principles of forging  were but little understood"

Practical Blacksmithing, vol 1 page 111, Richardson

My experience over the last 36 years of smithing bears this out as sharp edges tend to encourage cold shuts in the work or create lines that then need to be cleaned up.  If I need a sharp edge I just pop a hardy tool in that has one---but when I forged my titanium tongs I didn't use a sharp edge and in particular avoided them.

Can you tell us more about what kind of smithing you do where they are handy for the ways you work? I like your stump with the revolving mechanism; reminds me a bit of the cylindrical swage blocks with the shapes along the circumference. I have a cutting plate with a scale chiseled into one side; of course I use it a lot for billets and so I've a center line with the scale laid out on both sides from it so I can figure the half way mark on a hot billet and notch it for folding easily.

Excuse us for not realizing your background; but that reminded me of what a machinist might produce who hadn't worked hot metal much and *thought* that he could do one better by making it with sharp edges. Hence our mistaken belief that you didn't have a lot of time with hot steel at the anvil.

[Tapper2]

It's fine!  Don't want to get off on the wrong foot. I have not finished dressing the anvil, because I had just finished making the assembly, therefore, was just pointing out the usefulness of having the good edges, and that they haven't been beaten to death. I'll dress the edges as I go, for now I'll leave them alone. No sweat. I also didn't mean to insult anyone.....moving on....

A friend of mine has a nice swage block, and thought it'd be great to be able to rotate it easily on the stump. That got me thinking....

So now I'll try to help him. He's 70+ years young, and wearing down....

[JHCC]

Welcome aboard, Tapper2! Good to have you, and keep up the creative thinking. No critique to add to what's been said above, but I'd heartily second the appreciation of your innovative approach.

I'm often in upstate NY on business -- whereabouts are you?

[ThomasPowers]

We recently had a post about a shop where they had sort of a little jib crane built in to the side of the swage block stand to allow it to be raised and flipped or laid flat---a good stand will allow either configuration.

I hope to see your take on how to do likewise as the foot lift for your anvil is sweet.

[Smoggy]

I like it, I would have probably refered to it as a swage block, but block or anvil, both are for working hot metal on so same difference really. The treadle, yes I can see that getting in the way too, but a simple bit of engineering would make it lay down in the operating position and fold up the side of the stand for storage leaving the floor clear. I can see it could also have additional features added and suspect in that sense it's a work in progress dictated by were the future takes you. Well thought out and put together.

[ThomasPowers]

I was assuming that the treadle was on the backside of the stump when in use.

[mechelement]

I like it a lot. Is that all thread through the top and bottom of the stand? Stand is glued and screwed laminated 2x12s? How long are the lags that hold the fulcrum via brackets into the stand, 3"?

Regardless of dressing, that's a nice block of steel and it's obviously well thought out and executed as such. 

Edit: The sharp edge at the top of our JHM Certifier's base of the horn proves extremely useful for drawing out clips. 

Edited July 2, 2017 by mechelement

[Tapper2]

Thank you very much. They're 2x10's glued, with all-thread. The lags are 3" and 4" (it's what I had around the shop). I just gently burned the outside with a torch to help seal. The treadle is at the rear of the stump, when using. I've not done much with it yet. I'll start dressing a couple edges and put it to the test. I work at my regular job a lot these days, so haven't been able to do much iron work

[mechelement]

That's cool. I've never seen a stand built out of dimensional lumber before. Here I am drying a (green) cottonwood stump in my garage since January. 

[JHCC]

Lots of folks (both on IFI and elsewhere) do just that. 

[ThomasPowers]

The important thing is to have the grain going vertically from the top to the bottom and to NOT stack boards sideways.

I made a number of DL "stumps" from old oak boards that were the floor of a horse trailer.  I didn't glue them just lined them up on a flat surface, pipe clamped them together and then used an electricials long drill bit to drill through the stack in several places and bolted them together with scrapyard utility pole and guard rail bolts.  Mine look rustic to say the least but work well.  We have people here that glue and shape theirs beautifully, that works too.

[Lou L]

Very cool idea.  If I ever come across an awesome chunk of steel like the on you have I now know what I can do with it.

 

Thanks for the idea!

 

Lou

[ThomasPowers]

Find a place that does injection molding and try to get one of their old dies---often a high alloy steel, I've seen them in H13, often weighing several hundred pounds for the big ones.

[Frosty]

Tapper: I sometimes come across more direct than I probably should and I get off on the wrong foot. 

None of that changes my opinion I still think that's an outstanding bit of thinking and adapting. At a recent event a  number of guys from the club cast  small swage blocks. Small because that fit the common size flasks and using large swage blocks requires lift gear. Your lift gear is now part of the mental tool box. 

Thanks for the musing, thinking and tinkering.

Frosty The Lucky. 

[tanglediver]

I think your friend has a fine friend. Impressively, ingenious self-engineered tooling you've got there. Tip of the welder's cap to you.

[Tapper2]

Thanks, upstate N.Y. = Lake George region. I dressed a couple sides and tried out. Made this from a "re-purposed" broken sway bar link from a car. 

So far so good. Fun to make.